Environmental concerns have resulted in government regulations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in paints and coatings. For example, in the United States, many states have passed or are considering passing legislation limiting VOCs in refinish basecoats to no more than 0.42 kilograms (kg) of VOCs/liter of paint (3.5 pounds of VOCs/gallon of paint). Other countries have or will follow suit. Compliance with these regulations is currently possible by using “exempt” solvents that are not included in the calculation of VOCs. VOC exempt solvents do not cause the formation of ground level ozone (smog), according to environmental chemists. Several of the more commercially useful VOC exempt solvents include acetone, methyl acetate, tertiary butyl acetate (TBAc), and P-chlorobenzotriflouride (PCBTF). Water also is considered an exempt solvent.
However, coatings made from these solvents are not always suitable for application, for example, by spraying, in all temperatures. During application of a coating composition, such as a refinish basecoat, it is preferable that the basecoat dry quickly but not so quickly that the basecoat does not have time to flow evenly over the vehicle. There are a limited number of exempt solvents and they do not necessarily have evaporation rates that make them suitable for use in all temperature ranges. For example, if the refinish basecoat is to be sprayed on an automobile at low temperatures, for example, at temperatures in the range of below 21° C. (about 70° F.), a solvent with a slow evaporation rate would evaporate too slowly and would be undesirable in the basecoat. Similarly, if the refinish basecoat is to be sprayed at high temperatures, such as higher than 32° C. (about 90° F.), a solvent with fast evaporation rate would evaporate too quickly for the coating to flow over the automobile and achieve a smooth finish.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods for making systems for producing a plurality of coating compositions with predetermined VOC contents that are suitable for use in predetermined temperature ranges. It also is desirable to provide systems for producing a plurality of such coating compositions. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.